Earl Howardâ€™s Clepton (2006) is as complex, mysterious and poetic as the outer limits of science he finds inspiration in, and the imagery of particle physics is particularly appropriate for the extraordinary interaction that takes place between the composer and his three playing partners throughout Cleptonâ€™s 38 minutes. For Gerry Hemingway, â€œthese are models that might be referenced to help us focus our approach to a given sectionâ€”a basic understanding of scient…

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EKYU is a quartet who likes to integrate, deviate or transmute contempory musical languages. Through these distintly personal interpretations emerge multidimensional musical conversations. The musicians who form part of this quartet are established improvisers and composers, who easily modify or redefine the borders between written and improvised music, simply seizing the musical instant.

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Trent Reznor released a variable-pay album on their web site, and Chris Anderson argues that they problem made more money by doing so than if they sold the same number of CDs. This bodes well for lesser-known artists trying to mine the Radiohead model.

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Latest release
RCD 2069 – Food: Molecular Gastronomy
Now down to the duo of Iain Ballamy and Thomas StrÃ¸nen, Food looks to be more active than ever. This, their fifth album, was recorded by Jeremy Cox over a period of two years and mixed by Ashley Slater, who also contributes on three tracks. Maria Kannegaard plays Fender Rhodes on five tracks. StrÃ¸nen, considered to be one of NorwayÂ´s most inventive drummers, was always an important writer in Food and itÂ´s fair to say that a good amount of their earlier output was written as opposed to improvised. â€œMolecular Gastronomyâ€, however, is mostly improvised, much in the same way as the music of StrÃ¸nenÂ´s other duo Humcrush. Given the new set-up and a fresh approach, itÂ´s also natural that Ballamy, without doubt one of the great British sax players of his generation, gets more room for his excellent playing. Finally, this is also a great sounding album!

Next release
RCD 2070 – Box: Studio 1
Something of an international supergroup, the founding of this excellent ensemble is a touch of genius that remains something of a mystery. Hand-picked by writer and film-maker Philip Mullarkey to record and play live as part of the art/film project [box], the four musicians met for the first time in Atlantis Studio in Stockholm for two short days of recording without having planned, scored or prepared any music in advance. It quickly became apparent that this avant-garde juggernaut was heading in the right direction – the musical interplay making it hard to believe that these complex pieces were actually improvised on the spot – again, a testament to instant music making at the highest level.
Raoul BjÃ¶rkenheim, guitar (Scorch Trio)
Trevor Dunn, bass (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, John Zorn)
StÃ¥le StorlÃ¸kken, keyboards (Supersilent, Humcrush)
Morgan Ã…gren, drums (Mats / Morgan, ZappaÂ´s Universe)